1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dispensing and more particularly to a anti-clog terminal orifice for a powder dispenser for dispensing a particulate material.
2. Prior Art Statement
The prior art has known various types of dispensing devices for dispensing a particulate material such as a powder or a granulated material. Typically, the particulate material is contained within a receptacle and is dispensed through a terminal orifice. In some cases, the receptacle is a portable dispensing receptacle having an open top with a closure securable to the receptacle for closing the open top of the receptacle. The closure defines a terminal orifice for dispensing the particulate material through the terminal orifice from the receptacle. The closure includes a plug being movably mounted relative to the closure for insertion within the terminal orifice for closing the terminal orifice. Portable dispensing receptacles for dispensing particulate material incorporating these features have found wide and diverse use and success in the art.
One particular difficulty with portable dispensing receptacles for particulate material is the difficulty of clustering of the particulate material into aggregates or chunks. This is especially significant when the size of the aggregates or chunks is larger than a minimum dimension of the terminal orifice. In such event, the aggregates or chunks blocks the terminal orifice and inhibits further discharge of the particulate material from the receptacle.
Some in the prior art have attempted to alleviate the difficulty of clustering of the particulate material by incorporating various types of screen devices and the like. The screen devices were disposed within or upstream from the terminal orifice for inhibiting the aggregates or chunks from blocking the terminal orifice.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,159,259 to Dootson discloses a granulated sugar dispenser comprising a container for the sugar provided with a discharge neck. A closure at the outer end of the neck and a flow guard are arranged and adapted to restrict the flow of sugar from the container to the neck to flow from the outer end of the neck when the closure is opened. The neck has a transparent portion to show the amount of sugar flowing into the neck upon inverting the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,813 to Hansen discloses a dispensing device for comminuted material dispensing comprising a hollow cylindrical body having a closed bottom and an open top. A hollow convex cover for the open top has a reduced opening. A hollow cylindrical wire mesh member extends from the bottom of the body up to within a short distance of the cover and is spaced within the side walls of the cylindrical body and from the cover. Resilient arcuate retaining wire members are attached to the cylindrical wire mesh member bowed out to the interior surfaces of the side walls of the cylindrical body and hold the wire mesh member in position by friction. The open top of the cylindrical body have substantially the same internal diameter as the body throughout the length.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,729,363 to Bauer et al discloses a non-cloggable dispenser for powdered material open at the top. A conical cover for the container is removably secured to the open top. The cover has an opening at the apex thereof. An insert of circular shape fits within the sides of the cover and resting on the top edges of the container. The insert comprises a conical spring formed from a continuous wire and having an outer ring resting on the top edges of the container within the cover. The cover at the conical sides thereof abut the top of the outer ring whereby to retain the spring on the top edges of the container. The apex of the spring extends downwardly toward the bottom of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,107 to Lococo discloses a holder and dispenser for sugar or the like comprising a container having a receptacle portion for sugar and being open at a top thereof. A hollow cover has means attaching the same to the open end portion of the container and has a shoulder overlying the adjacent edge of the container. The hollow portion of the cover is adapted to trap the sugar and funnel the same through a discharge opening provided in the cover. An insertable and removable lump disintegrating screen embodies a plurality of horizontal boar-like members interconnected with complemental horizontal bar-like members at right angles to the first-named bar-like members and defining a multiplicity of sugar discharging openings. The bar-like members is integral with and surrounded by a screen-positioning and retaining rim. The screen spans the open top of the container and separates the receptacle portion from the hollow portion of the cover. The rim is interposed and clampingly held between the top of the container and the shoulder. The rim is compressibly resilient for constituting a retainer for the screen and having the additional function of a gasket, the bar-like members having V-shaped upper portions and V-shaped lower portions defining upper and lower knife-like lump cutting and disintegrating means.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,151,781 to McKee discloses a screening device comprising a horizontal plate having rows of openings extending therethrough. The plate is provided with a plurality of rigid horizontally-elongated spacer elements arranged in series between the rows of openings and also projecting in a direction normal to the plane of the plate. The elements of each of the series is spaced apart to define feed passages for the flow of granular material into and through the openings and is provided with longitudinally-spaced transverse notches permitting the flow of relatively small particles therethrough and through the openings while large lumps of material are restrained by the elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,351 to Cullufo discloses a container for granular products comprising an outlet structure having an opening through which the product can be poured or shaken or can be removed by a spoon. A plurality of resilient elements extend into the opening and form obstructions for breaking up lumps of the granular product when the product is poured or shaken from the container, but the elements are resiliently deflectable to enable a spoon to be admitted through the opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,417 to Jordan discloses a dispensing grid for use in a dispenser for solid, particulate matter, such as salt, features rounded upper surfaces and wedge-shaped lower surfaces. The intersecting ribs comprises the grid preferably being at two levels. The grid is preferably disposed on an interior surface of the dispenser, across an opening through which dispensed material may pass, and beneath a flush-fitting closure. The rounded upper surfaces minimize salt entrapment beneath the flush-fitting closure, and the chisel-point lower surfaces break up agglomerated lumps of the material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,981 to Mandlak discloses a powder gun for dispensing a powder such as an insecticide or the like characterized by a hollow collapsible body for containing the powder. A dispensing member has a discharge port and spout for directing the discharged powder into the desired area and connected with the hollow collapsible body. A filter and lump break up means disposed within the dispensing member immediately adjacent the discharge port for breaking up lumps and for filtering the powder and preventing entry of particles large enough to plug the discharge port and spout. The hollow collapsible body is normally biased to an extended position and movable to a compressed position for discharging air and any powder therewithin through the dispensing member. Also disclosed are preferred structural embodiments including a rotatable disc having multiple sections of stalks protruding substantially perpendicularly thereto for breaking up the lumps and for filtering the powder dispensed through the discharge spout, as well as preferred materials of construction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,100 to Beck et al discloses a closure for a container opening including a closure body having a predetermined configuration, external periphery and a first aperture formed therethrough. A member connects the closure body about the container opening with a cover member being reciprocally mounted about a portion of the external periphery of the closure body. The cover member includes a first lid member hingedly connected thereto for rotation with respect to the cover member and the closure body and closing engagement with the first aperture. A first locking member releasably retains the first lid member a predetermined distance away from the first aperture to maintain the first aperture in an uncovered condition during dispensing of the container contents. The first locking member includes at least one engagement wing integral with the first lid member for engaging a portion of the closure body.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an anti-clog device for a terminal orifice of a dispenser for dispensing a particulate material from the terminal orifice that can disperse large aggregates or chunks into smaller aggregates or chunks for discharge through the terminal orifice.
Another object of this invention is to provide an anti-clog device for a terminal orifice of a dispenser for dispensing a particulate material from the terminal orifice that is integrally formed into the surface defining the terminal orifice as a unitary member.
Another object of this invention is to provide an anti-clog device for a terminal orifice of a dispenser for dispensing a particulate material from the terminal orifice incorporating an array of projections with each of the projections having a pointed end for breaking up the aggregates or chunks of the particulate material.
Another object of this invention is to provide an anti-clog device for a terminal orifice of a dispenser for dispensing a particulate material from the terminal orifice incorporating an array of projections with each of the projections having a sharp lateral edge for cutting the aggregates or chunks of the particulate material.
Another object of this invention is to provide an anti-clog device for a terminal orifice of a dispenser for dispensing a particulate material from the terminal orifice incorporating an array of projections with each of the projections having a plurality of teeth for cutting the aggregates or chunks of the particulate material.
Another object of this invention is to provide an anti-clog device for a terminal orifice of a dispenser for dispensing a particulate material from the terminal orifice that is incorporated into a closure.
Another object of this invention is to provide an anti-clog device for a terminal orifice of a dispenser for dispensing a particulate material from the terminal orifice that is incorporated into a closure and which does not appreciably increase the cost of the closure over the closure of the prior art.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention with in the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment of the invention.
A specific embodiment of the present invention is shown in the attached drawings. For the purpose of summarizing the invention, the invention relates to an anti-clog device for a terminal orifice of a dispenser is disclosed for dispensing a particulate material from the terminal orifice. In many cases, the particulate material clusters into aggregates larger than the terminal orifice and are prevented from being dispensed through the terminal orifice. The anti-clog device comprises projections disposed about the terminal orifice. Each of the projections defines a pointed distal end enabling of projections to divide the large aggregates of particulate material into smaller aggregates of particulate material for dispensing through the terminal orifice.
In a first embodiment of the invention, each of the projections are spaced relative to one another at a distance less than a minor dimension of the terminal orifice. Each of the projections has a longitudinal length at least one-half of the minor dimension of the terminal orifice. In a second embodiment of the invention, each of the projections has a plurality of teeth for cutting the aggregates or chunks of the particulate material.
In a specific embodiment of the invention, the terminal orifice is defined in a generally planar surface. The projections are formed in an array of projections with each of the projections of the array having a proximal end being unitary with the planar surface of the closure. The closure maybe removably securable to a receptacle for receiving the particulate material. Each of the projections extends outwardly from and substantially normal to the planar surface.
In another embodiment of the invention, the terminal orifice is substantially circular defined by a diameter. Each of the projections of the array extends from the planar surface a distance greater than one-half of the diameter of the terminal orifice.
In another embodiment of the invention, each of the projections of the array has a sharp lateral edge for cutting the aggregates of the particulate material. Preferably, each of the projections of the array has plural sharp lateral edges located on opposed sides of each of the projections for cutting the aggregates of the particulate material.
The terminal orifice may comprise a plurality of terminal orifices. The array of projections comprises a plurality of arrays of projections with an array of projections encircling each of the plurality of terminal orifices of the array of terminal orifices. In the alternative, the array of projections may comprise a plurality of projections with each of the array of projections being interposed between each of the plurality of the arrays of terminal orifices.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject matter of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.